Tag Archives: musician

Getting Ready For FAWM 2012

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“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” — Jack London

Man, we’re at the end of January already… Where did it go?

I don’t know where it went but I do know that the beginning of February is also the beginning of FAWM which stands for February Album Writing Month.

I’ll cleaning up my creative space, contacting all of my collaborators and sharpening my pencil for this one.

I know I’ve mentioned FAWM (and my lack of success in it) before in the past but for those of you that don’t know FAWM is a songwriting event that challenges the participant to write 14 songs in the 28 days of February.

However, seeing that 2012 is a leap year the challenge is now to write 14.5 songs in 29 days. The other 0.5 being an extra collaboration with someone new.

Here is some more information about FAWM taken from www.fawm.org

“The FAWM challenge is simple: 14½ songs in 29 days. Why?

If it is inspiration you are after, then FAWM is your club. Each February, this website forges a collaborative community of thousands of musicians worldwide, from all walks and skill levels.

We take on the challenge of writing an album’s worth of new music in the shortest month of the year.”

Interested? Then go to www.fawm.org and join up, immerse yourself into the community and enjoy the ride.

I know I will.

Peace,

Corey :)

CS Gigs: W/E Sunday February 5th, 2012

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Here are the gigs that I’m doing for the week ending Sunday February 5th, 2012.

Make sure you mark these gigs in your diary in BOLD RED PEN.

Wed 01 – Open Mic @ The Dan (8pm – 12am)
Thu 02 – Open Mic @ The Brunswick (8pm – 11pm)
Fri 03 – Daniel O’Connell Hotel (9pm – 12am)
Sun 05 – FIGJAM @ Mick O’Sheas (2pm – 6pm)

For more information please go to my gigs page.

Hope to see you there,

Corey :)

A Proposed New Format For My Cover Gigs

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For a while now I’ve been looking for ways in which I can do something a little different with my cover gigs.

The reason why I want to do this is so I can stand out from the crowd a bit more while at the same time, I’m keeping things fresh for myself and hopefully I create a point of difference between me and all of the other cover musicians out there.

With that in mind I’m going to trial a different approach to my performances.

In the past, what I’ve done is created a setlist of the songs to play before the gig and then deliver a show from that setlist. What I’m wanting to do for this year is develop a comprehensive list of songs that I can play and then allow the audience to request what they want to hear.

It’s “Corey Stewart/FIGJAM By Request” a concept that has been bouncing around in my mind for at least a couple of years now.

I’ve seen this done a few times by other musicians and I thought that it was a fantastic idea. I know a lot of songs and I’m learning more all of the time, I might as well put them all to good use.

The beauty about letting the audience pick the songs I play is that it takes the pressure off of me totally because it becomes the audiences job to program the nights entertainment. I then become an interactive human jukebox and it allows me to get on what I do best.

Which is playing the songs and entertaining the crowd.

Another idea that I want to develop in 2012 is “FIGJAM Live Karaoke.”

Instead of people singing to backing tracks they have the opportunity to sing with a live band which will make the overall singing experience for the punter closer to a real band rather than singing with the radio.

How cool would that be? Let me know what you think.

Both concepts are still in its very early stages of development but as soon as I’m closer to launching them, I’ll let you all know so you can all be part of the interactivity.

Onward and upward…

Peace,

Corey :)

Today I Reaffirm My Musical Goals

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Now that I’m fully back in the land of the living and feeling much better than I have in a long time, I thought that today would be a good day to reaffirm my musical goals.

And it’s this…

“To sustain a career as a full time songwriter/musician/blogger using the internet as my primary tool of promotion, networking and marketing.”

This doesn’t mean that the more traditional face to face stuff does not get neglected by the way. I actually love the cut and thrust of getting out there and networking, securing my own gigs and using the power of word of mouth advertising to create a community around me, my music and other projects that I’m involved in (such as the Open Mic Network).

Now, how am I going to achieve this? Well, I’ll do it by:

Simplifying my life I know I’ve written about this before on my blog but I do have the tendency to over-complicate and over-think aspects of my life and work which paralyses me through having too much choice.

I’ve started on the road to simplicity by finally deciding that this site is the main focus for all of my musical endeavours. In light of this I’ve just recently deleted my Orangutang Music website and redirected the URL to this site. My other blogs Songwriting Zen and Corey Stewart Songwriting Tips will follow the same fate once I export all of the valuable content elsewhere.

I will be having a closer look at ways in which I can streamline my online presence in the near future and it’s my intention to blog about it.

Focusing on my activity As well as over-complicating and over-thinking aspects of my life I also fall into the habit of doing far too many things at once under the guise of needing to “diversify my income.” The old jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none thing gets really boring after a while when you realise that you don’t get anything achieved by adopting this business model.

I know I can do a lot of things but I need to be mindful of what I’m really doing every time I decide to take on another job here, another role there.

Which leads on nicely to the last point…

Internalising my efforts I admit it, I’m a people pleaser. In the past I’ve done anything for anyone because I wanted to be seen as the “nice guy” in any situation and would do whatever I could to protect that stance, even at the cost to myself.

Well, there will be no more of that. Helping others is fine as long as it doesn’t get in the way of my own stuff.

I mean for starters I am my own web development, online marketing and music business consulting client and will work with myself as such. I’ll take on my own advice and will walk the walk that results from talking the talk (and some of you out there know how much I love to talk about the music business).

If I have time spare to work with anyone else in the same capacity I’ll do so and I’m always open to those opportunities but, at the same time, if I don’t, I won’t, simple as that.

I hope you’ll understand that if you’re the one doing the asking.

My live shows (mainly my covers gigs) and the Open Mic Network sustain me financially and give me the freedom to work on my other stuff during the day and that includes working on my health as well.

It’s my hope that I can achieve some sort of balance in my life so I can be the best person I can be for myself and for everyone else around me.

I’ve had my break and now it’s time for me to get back into it but this time I’ll be working smarter, not necessarily harder.

Peace,

Corey :)

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Help! I’m Paralysed By Too Much Choice?

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Do you have a Flowchart?
Image by Kev Gilmour via Flickr

This post is about the hazards I’m encountering in trying to build a co-ordinated social networking presence after years of adopting the ‘shotgun’ approach to my online marketing (you know, throw it all up against a wall and see what sticks).

One of the really big jobs (as an online focussed musician) I have ahead of me at the moment is to try and co-ordinate a focussed and strategic web presence for me and my music. In theory this would be done through my website, blog, social media and (very soon) video.

For me to do this properly I need to first of all ascertain how much of me is on the net in the first place.

What I’m finding out is that there’s bits of me all over the place but none of it working in an efficient, streamlined and coherent manner. Therein lies the challenge for me as on online musician/marketer, corralling all of my online bits into a solid web presence.

At the moment I have a bit of a problem and the more I look into this, the more it looks like that finding a solution to this problem is like unscrambling an egg, and we all know how hard that can be.

At this very moment I don’t know where to start, I have so many choices in front of me that I get paralysed by them. It’s happened in the past, give me too many choices and I won’t choose anything.

I know that in a situation like this you need to start at the beginning however, when you don’t know where a clear beginning is… Anyway, I’m thinking the short answer to all of this is to “just start somewhere” and work my way in whatever direction it takes me. I just need to trust that by starting somewhere I’ll see the forest for the trees.

My starting point will be FaceBook!

I’ll blog my progress but it does comfort me to know that if I do stray off target I have you to guide me back.

Peace,

Corey :)

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Open Mics Are Good For You

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One of the projects that I’m involved with is running an Open Mic every Wednesday night at the Daniel O’Connell Hotel called the Open Mic @ The Dan. This has been running for almost 4 years now and has a very solid following and is known around Adelaide as one of the best run and best sounding Open Mics around. This is something that I’m very proud of.

I’m also putting together an Open Mic Network in which all Open Mics can cross promote their events to a developing Open Mic community. I’m doing this because It’s my belief that grass roots initiatives such as Open Mics are essential in a vibrant music industry. I wish they were around when I first started my musical journey.

The benefits of an Open Mic are:

For everyone:

1. Open Mics are a great networking opportunity for songwriters, performers and musicians of all experiences and skill levels. Everyone gets together in one place with music as a common bond and allows magic to happen

2. It’s a great night out in a relaxed, performer-friendly environment listening to music performed by anyone and everyone. A mixed bag of good and improving performances. You can feel comfort zones being shattered.

For songwriters:

3. You can road-test new material as it is being written (even works in progress if you are daring) and get great feedback from your peers.

4. As other singer/songwriters are present you can easily find a songwriting partner.

For performers:

5. It is an opportunity to perform in front of an attentive, respectful crowd in which you can promote other shows, get names on a mailing list and sell product. If you have a band that you are starting and you want to get the vibe happening before your first gig, Open Mics are perfect for this.

6. If you are looking for other band members networking at an open mic should be one of the thing on your to do list.

7. Most open mic venues have music on other nights so consider your performance as an audition for a gig on another night.

For more information on the Open Mic @ The Dan and the Open Mic Network go to my projects page or to www.openmicaustralia.com

Peace,

Corey :)

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CD Project Update #1 – The Beginning

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I went into the studio last Saturday with drummer Tim Irrgang to start laying down bed tracks for the CD and I’m glad to say that we’re halfway through the preliminary list of 18 songs earmarked for recording.

Tim and I go back a few years and I’ve had the pleasure of playing shows or working in the studio with him as either a bassist or vocalist/guitarist but I’m still constantly amazed at how much of a master player Tim is. His attention to detail is astounding and his dedication to the project is second to none.

It’s very safe to say that I love his work.

Tim setting up his kit

All miked up and ready to go

Recording everything separately has been a very new and interesting experience for me as most of my musical experience has been in the live scene. even when I was in the studio doing demos they would mostly be recorded live with the band. At times the recording process felt a little disjointed but I also know it’s early days and besides, I trust everyone who’s working on this with me so what have I to worry about?

Gotta keep ‘em separated (the tracks that is)

Just to give you all a background on what has happened so far…

Over the last four weeks I recorded 25 songs on acoustic guitar with vocals to a click which I then whittled down to preliminary list of 18 songs. These songs are to be used initially to guide Tim and myself on drums and bass so we can lay down the rhythm foundations for all 18 songs in readiness for acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keys and vocals to be overdubbed later.

The list of 18 will then be culled to a final list of 12-15 songs

Recording the guide tracks to a click was fascinating as I thought I kept pretty good time but as time goes on you soon find out that click-tracks don’t lie. Anyway, with that said, both Tim and I got through 9 of the 18 songs. The rest will be completed in the next couple of weeks.

A big thanks once again to Anthony Stewart for his infinite patience and his great coffee.

The engine room

Anthony hard at work

Watch this space, I’ll keep you updated as more news comes to hand.

Peace,

Corey :)

Finally… My CD Project Is Underway!

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Yes, finally, after years of making excuses, dodging questions and a few false starts I’ve rolled up the sleeves and started work on my first CD.

It’s amazing to think that even though I’m approaching 40 and I played my first “professional” gig at 16 (I think $50 and a round of beer jugs at the Century Hotel counts. Thanks Jason!) I still haven’t got a full recording of my music out there in the world. I’ve got lots of demos but not an official release.

I’ve started recording my CD about a month ago at Red Brick Music with a very good friend of mine, Anthony Stewart (Kane’s Dad for those in the know).

He has a great space, a great set of ears and is one of the nicest and most patient guys you’ll ever meet. I’ve recommended artists such as Cal Williams Jr and Courtney Robb to record there and their reports of his service are glowing. I don’t want to sound like an advertisement for Anthony however, I feel that I’m in really good hands and that’s important to me because it gives me confidence in my music and the product I’ll be producing.

People often ask me why it’s taken me so long to commit my songs to disk. There are a number of answers to that question ranging from being too busy working with other artists projects to concentrating on building up a cover band (FIGJAM. You’ll get to know what that is later) but, the simplest and most direct answer to the question is “FEAR.”

It was the fear of not selling enough CD’s and having boxes of them under the bed like so many other artists I know that had stopped me.

It was the fear of releasing something that people are not going to like and not take seriously (and therefore they don’t like me) that had stopped me.

It was the fear of being judged and criticised by others that had stopped me.

So, for years I hid behind other peoples projects, playing in their bands, working on their CD’s and having a wonderful time with it. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t regret any bit of my musical career to date but, in the end, hiding myself and my music away from the world was not serving my needs as a creative person.

But not anymore.

With this CD project I’ve now stopped hiding and am starting to find myself and my music. I’m rediscovering what it’s like to be proud of what I’m creating and by doing that, I’m rediscovering what it is to be me again.

I’ll be documenting my progress to keep you all in the loop and to keep me on track because now that I’ve finally set the wheels in motion I want to ensure that the momentum keeps going and accountability is very good for doing that.

It’s out with the old and in with the new. Bring it on.

Peace,

Corey :)

Why?

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Why this blog? Why this site?

I discovered early on in my career that, as a performing songwriter and musician it’s really, really important to have people to play in front of. Seems a simple enough realisation.

Playing to an audience gives me a sense of purpose with my music, an end result to all of the hours practising, rehearsing and writing and of course it satisfies the ego but I also realised that just satisfying the ego was not enough. Performance is a two way street between performer and audience, without one the other ceases to exist.

I realised that for me to be a successful performer I need to be successful at giving the audience a reason to care, to touch move and inspire them and then find a way to keep them all in one group and give them what they want on a regular basis.

Hence this blog, this site. I’m using technology to reach out over the vast expanses of cyberspace to tap you on the shoulder and say “HI!”

I want to build a community of people around me and my music and I’ll be doing that by being me, being open and honest and documenting everything that I’m doing on my musical journey.

I’ll be putting up my music, my images, my videos, my thoughts, feelings and other interesting and useful things I find along the way. All because I want to reach out to you, my audience.

I know that might sound a tad arrogant but, I know that winning you over is not going to come easily. I have to prove my worth to you, prove that I’m worthy of your attention because your time is just as precious as mine so I don’t want to waste it.

If I’m on stage I know where my audience is. When I’m writing for this site I don’t know where you are, it’s exciting and scary all at the same time but it’s worth pursuing. My audience, my community, my friends are out there. I’ve just got to find them.

It is my hope that through this site (and what I put in it) will give you a reason to give me a go, to care enough to tell your friends about what I do, to come to my shows and to allow me to be part of your life through my music. It would be an honour and a privilege to do so.

As you can read, I take community building very seriously. It’s what the music industry is all about.

Peace,

Corey :)

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The Great Experiment Begins

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My name is Corey Stewart and I’m a singer/songwriter/musician from Australia.

I’ve been writing, recording and playing music for over 20 years and in that time I’ve seen a lot of changes in the music industry and a lot of changes in the way musicians get their product out to an audience.

When I first started it was still a really big deal to independently release your own material. The reason being that, the only way to “make it” was to send out lots of demos and hope to get signed to a record label.

Being an independent musician wasn’t really a viable option. There were no broadcast quality home studios in those days so if you wanted to record independently you needed to have a lot of money behind you.

Record labels rules the airwaves and independence was only afforded to a few artists.

Today, especially with the internet being a huge influence on society as a whole, the tables seemed to have turned. Home studios are everywhere, distribution of music is much easier to manage and putting out a CD is the done thing for bands and artists.

In spite of all this, I haven’t released a CD of my own as yet however, this is where my Grand Experiment begins.

Since 2000 I have been fascinated and excited about the possibilities for musicians who market themselves online. Since 2004 I have maintained a songwriting blog and a music industry blog and branched out my experiences to include web development and online marketing.

Over the last few months I’ve been wondering if it’s possible to have some sort of success as a singer/songwriter/musician through using the internet and open source software only. I’m thinking a kind of independent open source music artist. An Online Music Artist for want of a better phrase.

I have been doing some research and I realise that my ideas are not necessarily treading over virgin territory. Artists such as Brad Sucks, Scott Andrew, Jonathon Coulton and Ben Walker have paved the way before me, producing great music and using the internet to their fullest advantage at the same time.

Reading their stories and watching what they do (I subscribe to a lot of songwriting and indie music blogs) inspire me greatly.

I’m not necessarily here to be a trailblazer, all I want to do is to put my music out to anyone who wants to hear it, I want to perform my music to anyone who wants to see it and I want to produce music for anyone who wants to share it.

This site will document my journey, warts and all. My quest is to be a self sufficient, independent, online music artist.

My journey starts now.

Peace,

Corey :)

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